Mike C. Manning of MTV's The Real World: Washington D.C. has joined James Duke Mason's Trailblazer campaign.

Mason, the son of singer Belinda Carlisle, launched the campaign, which urges gay actors to leave the closet, with his own 3-minute-40-second video.

“It's going to take a movement to beat the naysayers who would rather we remain silent, scared and afraid,” Mason says in the campaign's inaugural video.

In his 1-minute-12-second video, Manning says actors shouldn't apologize for being gay.

“When I'm not in Hollywood I'm traveling around the country talking to college students and universities about the importance of getting involved with the LGBT civil rights movement,” Manning says.

“A main message in my speeches is the importance of being out there and being vocal about who you are and the impact that can have on those around you in a positive way. When you are on the big screen, I think that impact is amplified.”

“To everyone out there just be proud of who you are and don't apologize for it. Even if it goes against the grain,” he adds. (The video is embedded in the right panel of this page.)

Manning will appear later this year in the gay-themed romantic comedy eCupid.